Portable route-based data collectors and analyzers are used to acquire data for indicating the operational status of industrial machines. For example, some data collectors are used to measure vibration of various machines along a measurement route within an industrial facility. Vibration characteristics of the machines are typically stored as digital vibration data that may be analyzed to detect faults in the operation of the machines. The CSI Model 2117A1, manufactured by Emerson Process Management, is an example of one such route-based vibration data collector unit.
Other examples of route-based data collector units include portable ultrasonic units for measuring ultrasonic characteristics of machines, and portable infrared camera units for measuring machine temperature characteristics.
To aid in more fully understanding machine performance data and the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of machine performance data, it would be desirable to record short audio files along with the machine data. For example, it would be helpful in some situations for a data analyst to hear audible sounds generated by a machine as the machine creates a particular vibration characteristic. It would also be desirable for test personnel to be able to record verbal notes regarding a measurement at a particular route point and to store the verbal notes in association with test data collected at the route point. No prior route-based data collector unit has provided this capability.
What is needed, therefore, is the ability to store audio files on a route-based data collector to supplement machine performance data also recorded on the data collector. Also needed is a route-based data collector on which verbal instructions or reminders can be recorded for playback to operators when a measurement at a route point is initiated, on which route notes can be entered verbally rather than textually as measurements are made along a route, and on which an audio library of faults can be stored for playback and comparison when listening for faults in the field.